Automobile jack



0. E. STONE.

AUTOMOBILE JACK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, l92l.

Patented Nov. 1141, 1922.

2SHEETSSHEET I.

@W% miw 0. E. STONE.

AUTOMOBILE JACK.

APRLICATION FILED JULY 20,192]- 1,4c35,884h Patented; Nov. M, 1922;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Nov. 114%, 113122,.

-.ra s.) r ret eat OLOV E. STONE, 0E COUNCIL BLUFFS, IUWA.

AUTQIVLOBILE JACK.

Application filed July 20,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLov E. STONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Council Blufi's, in the county of Pottawattamie and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile Jacks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to "jacks especially adapted for use in connection with automo biles.

An important object is to provide a jack having novel means whereby the direction of travel of the lifting bar may be reversed and having novel means whereby the lifting bar may be elevated with a minimum of effort on the part of the operator.

A further object is to provide a jack which is eificient, of highly simplified construction and cheap to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective of the "jack.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the jack with the housing cover removed, the parts being-shown in the position they occupy when the lifting bar is being lowered.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, of the jack, the parts being shown in the position they occupy when the lifting bar is being elevated.

Figure l is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 4;-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a group perspective illustrat ing the members employed to cause the lifting bar to lower.

Figure 6 is a perspective of a locking pawl embodied in the invention.

In the drawing the numeral 5 designates a hollow standard which as illustrated in Figure 1. is mounted upon a base 6 and is secured thereto by fastening devices 7 extended through late-rally projecting flanges 8 of the standard. As illustrated in Figures 4 and 3 a lifting bar 10 is slidable within the hollow standard and is provided with a series of longitudinal gear teeth 11 which are engaged by a pinion 12 carried by a shaft 13. The pinion 12 also engages a series of stationary teeth 15 formed in one of the in side walls of the hollow standard. It will be seen that when the shaft 13 is rotated in a clockwise direction the pinion 12 will be rotated and elevated by reason of its engagement with the gear teeth 15. When the pinion 12 is rotated in a clockwise direction, the lifting bar 10 is elevated because of its engagement with the rotating pinion. @n the other hand when the shaft 13 is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction the lifting bar 10 is lowered.

The means for rotating the shaft 13 include a ratchet wheel 16 keyed upon the shaft and actuated by an operating pawl 17 pivoted as indicated at 18 to an operating lever 19. The operating lever 19 has its forward end formed with an opening which rotatably receives the shaft 13 so that the operating lever 19 may be raised and lowered by means of a handle 20. The operating pawl is pressed into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 16 by means of a coil spring 21 confined between one side of the pawl and the bottom wall of a socket within which it is partially received. A holding or locking pawl 22 is supported. by means of a pivot bolt 23 and is pressed into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel by means of a coil spring 24 so that the ratchet wheel will be prevented from turning on the upward movement of the handle.

The construction described above is employed for raising the lifting bar and when it is desired to lower the lifting bar the low ering mechanism is arranged in its operative position by means of an adjusting lever 26 pivoted to the pivot bolt 23 and yieldably held in the raising or lowering position by means of a spring 25 attached to the forward end of the lever 26 and to a housing 27 within which is arranged the lowering mechanism and the ratchet wheel. The cover 28 is extended over the movable parts of the lowering mechanism and is provided along one vertical edge with an inwardly extending flange 29 which forms a stop element to limit the outward movement of a holding link 30. The holding link 30 is provided at its lower end with an offset lug 31. which is extended through the aperture of an ear 32 extended laterally fromthe adjusting lever 26. The upper end of the link 30 is formed with a laterally extending projection 32 which slidably contacts with the inwardly extending flange 29 and thereby limits the outward movement of the holding link. The holding link 30 serves as a means for holding a Ll-shaped latch 35 in a retracted position when the lever 26 is elevated as illustrated in Figure 3. l/Vhen the lever 26 and the holding link 30 are elevated a shoulder 36 formed intermediate the ends of the holding link engages a laterally projecting lug 37 struck out from the bight portion of the U-shaped latch 35.

l/Vhen the shoulder 36 is thus engaged with the lug 37 the branch 88 of the latch is held within the housing as illustrated in Figure 3. However, when the lever 26 is lowered as illustrated in Figure 2, the hold ing link 30 is also lowered to permit the latch to assume its advanced or operative position. The latch is pivotally and slidably supported within the housing byineans of apivot pin 40 which extends through a slot 41 in the latch. As illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 the latch may slide laterally on the pivot pin 40 or it may partake of a pivotal movement on the pin. When the latch is moved laterally by a means to be later described a depending ear 4L2 carried by the latch is engaged with a pin 14- extended laterally from the locking or holding pawl 22. The engagement of the depending ear 2 with the laterally projecting pin lt releases the locking pawl 22 from engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel and thereby permits the ratchet wheel 16 to partake of limited rotation in an anti-clockwise direction. When the ratchet'wheel 16 is thus permitted to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction the lifting bar is lowered.

/Vhen the jack is in the lowering position as illustrated in Figure 2 the latch 35 is in its outward or advanced position and the branch 38 oi the same is located in the path of travel of a laterally projecting bracket 45 carried by the operating pawl. When the lever 19 begins its downward movement for the purpose of lowering the bar the operating pawl is prevented from engaging the ratchet wheel by the contact of the bracket 45 with the extended portion of the branch 38. However, as the lever 19 continues its downward movement the bracket 45 is received within a recess 46 in the branch 38 and the bracket is engaged with the lower wall of the recess so that the continued downward movement of the lever will move the latch laterally. As previously stated; thelateral movement of the latch will engage the ear 42 with the pin 14 and thereby release the holdin pawl 22 from engagement with the ratc het wheel. I

Previous to releasing the locking pawl 22 from engagement with the ratchet wheel,

the operating pawl 17 is engaged with the teeth of the ratchet wheel'so' as'to'move the same in a clockwise direction a sufficient distance to permit the locking pawl to be moved outwardly. When the locking pawl 22'is released from engagement with the ratchet wheel the operator permits the lever 19'to move upwardly whereupon the lifting bar is lowered. This operatlon may be repeated until the lifting bar is entirely lowered. The latch 35 is provided witha second branch 18 with which a spring 49 is engaged, the said spring being coiled about the pivot pin 40 and having it's'low'er end anchored to the housing as indicated at 50. The spring 49 of course serves to hold the latch in. its advanced position so thaton the beginning oi' the downward movement of the lever 19 the operating pawl 17" isiprevented from engaging the ratchet wheel.

From the foregoing description it will'be apparent that the housing and the lever move bodily as the lifting bar is moved longitudinally.

I claim j v x A jack comprising a hollow standard having a rack, a lifting bar having a rack, a shaft having a pinion engaged with said racks, a ratchet wheel keyed'on said shaft; a I

lever rotatably connected to said shaft and having a spring actuated pawl engaged with said ratchet wheel, a housing receiving said shaft a pin carried by said" housing, a Ushaped latch having slot receiving said pin whereby the latch may move laterally and partake of a-pivotal movement, said U- shaped latchbeingprovided'with a branch having a recess, a laterally. projectin bracket carried by said operating. pawl and engaged by said'branch whereby; the operating pawl-is spaced from engagement-with the ratchet wheel" as the lever begins its downward movement, said bracket being adapted to engage one wall of said recess to move said latch laterally, a locking pawl engaging said ratchet wheel; said latch being provided with a depending ear adapted to move said locking pawl to its inoperative position, aspringengagin'g said latch to urge the same to its advanced position, and adjusting'means for said la'tch.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

OLOV E. STONE.

Witnesses:

EDWARD A. NnLsoN, T. K. NIELSEN. 

